Fall Preview

If summer in the Triangle is all about departures--summer vacations to the beach and mountains, children heading off to camp, and cheap flights to Europe--then the fall revolves around arrival. Students return, theaters reawaken with new seasons, the clubs start heating up and series are launched to feed our rested minds with art. It is harvest time, and harvest is defined by its variety as well its abundance. Part I of our Fall Preview this year is a salad of varied takes on the upcoming arts calendar, and Part II, to be published next week, is the calendar itself, with special events highlighted throughout.

Many of these week's stories offer context for what's in store this autumn. In honor of the Durham Blues Festival, Matt Jones has delved into the history of two of Durham's most celebrated bluesmen, the Rev. Gary Davis and Blind Boy Fuller, using their lives to elaborate why the Bull City became such an incubator for that new American art form during the Great Depression. Farther along in the issue, you'll find Kate Dobbs Ariail setting some upcoming Triangle exhibitions in the context of all the good art within a day's ride from here, V. Cullum Rogers giving an illustrated, "practical" guide to the area's theater venues, Karen A. Mann exploring the blossoming music improv scene and much more.

After arming you with all this juicy framework for fall events, next week we'll give you the events themselves. Get ready. It's going to be a great and busy season.